Liverpool belatedly kick-started their year and damaged Tottenham Hotspur's slender Premier League title hopes as Sadio Mane struck both goals in a 2-0 victory at Anfield.
Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp has urged the club's supporters to celebrate at home as the club prepare to lift the Premier League trophy following their clash with Chelsea on Wednesday. Klopp's Liverpool secured their first top-flight title in 30 years with seven games to spare and will be presented with the trophy on a special podium built on the Kop stand at Anfield.
Liverpool will feel the weight of increased expectation to deliver silverware this season after making encouraging forays into the transfer market, manager Juergen Klopp said.
Juergen Klopp's side, chasing their maiden title in the Premier League era and first in the top flight in 30 years, took a 14th-minute lead from a Virgil van Dijk header but had to wait until stoppage time to put the game to bed through Mohamed Salah.
Shane Filan, one of the main leads of the popular 1990s Irish boyband Westlife, was in the stands at Old Trafford, watching his favourite club Manchester United held to a 2-2 draw by Tottenham Hotspur.
City are looking to retain the title they won in record-breaking fashion last year and secure their fourth Premier League crown in eight years.
Liverpool signed Brazil international Alisson from AS Roma on Thursday, smashing the world record for a goalkeeper in a deal worth up to 72.5 million euros ($84 million).
City are 16 points behind Liverpool - who have a game in hand - and Guardiola said he could not afford to be distracted
IMAGES from the EPL matches played on Sunday.
The Reds' manager believes his team has the ability to finish in the top four and qualify for Champions League next season.
Roma didn't expect that Salah and Liverpool would stand between them and a place in the Champions League final.
Juergen Klopp expressed disappointment at the officiating and his Liverpool side's poor finishing in the second leg of their League Cup semi-final at Anfield on Wednesday after Southampton claimed a late 1-0 victory to book a spot in the final.
European champions Liverpool are second in their Champions League group - a point behind Napoli - and Klopp's side host Genk at Anfield.
Arsenal eased past second-tier Reading 2-0 with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scoring twice, while Newcastle United romped to a 6-0 win over 10-man Preston North End and Hull City won 2-1 at Bristol City.
Liverpool have completed the signing of England midfielder Jordan Henderson from Sunderland, the Premier League club said on Thursday.
There is often nothing more dangerous than a striker with a point to prove as Daniel Sturridge and Divock Origi showed in Liverpool's League Cup mauling of Southampton on Wednesday.
Liverpool beat Leicester City 2-1 to post a fourth successive Premier League victory but conceded their first goal of the season after a nightmare mistake by new keeper Alisson.
Strict rules govern transfers, with clubs able to negotiate terms with players only if they are out of contract or once a fee has been agreed with the seller. The laws also govern indirect approaches via an intermediary.
In another match at the Port of Rotterdam tournament, Feyenoord and Porto drew 0-0.
Good news was in short supply for Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho on Saturday as his side were thrashed 4-1 by Liverpool in the International Champions Cup and he confirmed Serbian midfielder Nemanja Matic will miss the start of the season.
Shareholders accepted the takeover of the club by US sports tycoons George Gillett and Tom Hicks.
Barcelona have been haunted by their recent failures in the Champions League and there are concerning signs for the Catalans as they prepare for Tuesday's last-16 first leg away to Olympique Lyonnais.
Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp says his team can compensate for their lack of Champions League final experience by showing greater desire and work-rate than Real Madrid in Saturday's clash in Kiev.
'I think they're in a big fight now'
And Liverpool fans could not keep their calm as they made their joy known on social media sites.
Liverpool reached the Champions League final after riding their luck to contain a fired-up AS Roma in a 4-2 defeat at the Stadio Olimpico on Wednesday that sent them through 7-6 on aggregate.
Whatever happens, there will be no shortage of drama between now and May 12.
Manager Juergen Klopp's leadership is laying the foundations for "something special" at Liverpool, forward Giorginio Wijnaldum has said. Liverpool have started the new Premier League campaign with 10 points from a possible 15 after a 2-1 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Friday. The Merseyside club, who won at Arsenal and also beat champions Leicester City 4-1, were held to a 1-1 draw by Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane following their 2-0 defeat by promoted Burnley last month.
A fortunate 85th-minute goal from Brazilian Willian earned Premier League champions Chelsea a 1-1 draw at Liverpool on Saturday after Mohamed Salah's 15th goal of the season looked to have given the hosts the three points.
While Lyon rallied to hold Leipzig 2-2 after a Memphis Depay strike, it was the English clubs who made a mark on the night. Liverpool and Chelsea moved into the last 16 with contrasting wins and now all four English clubs, including Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, are in the Champions League knockouts this season.
Liverpool scored three goals in 12 dramatic first-half minutes, two of them from Emre Can, on their way to a hugely entertaining 4-2 win over Hoffenheim which took them back to the Champions League group stage after a two-season absence on Wednesday.
Atalanta beat Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 in the Europa League final
Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge has suffered another injury setback after a foot problem picked up in training ruled him out of a return against Girondins Bordeaux in the Europa League
Holders Manchester City beat Chelsea 1-0 with a late Bernardo Silva goal on Saturday to reach the FA Cup final after an absorbing end-to-end Wembley semi-final left the exhausted winners still chasing a domestic double.
It is testament to Steven Gerrard's ability that his Liverpool career will be remembered for heroic acts of willpower that ensured no deficit was irretrievable and no opponent unbeatable, rather than the league title that eluded him.
Phil Foden kept Manchester City's Premier League title challenge on track with a superb second-half double as his side hit back to clinch a 3-1 home victory over Manchester United on Sunday.
A second-half Peter Crouch header earned Liverpool a 1-0 victory at Girondins Bordeaux.
Barca captain Messi opened the scoring with a "Panenka" penalty chipped straight down the middle in the 17th minute after Luis Suarez was fouled in the area, putting the home side ahead in the tie after a goalless first leg in France.
Teenager Curtis Jones grabbed a 58th-minute winner as an injury-hit Liverpool qualified for the knockout stage of the Champions League with a 1-0 win over Ajax Amsterdam at Anfield on Tuesday.
Images from Sunday's Premier League matches.
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